It Ends Tonight
by melskylark
Summary: On Hiatus until I have time to reread the books since I made some canon errors in the story. NEW MOON SPOILERS! Edward’s time in Italy when he thinks his world has ended.
1. The News

**It Ends Tonight**

**Summary:** NEW MOON SPOILERS. Edward's time in Italy when he thinks his world has ended.

_**A/N:** This contains New Moon Spoilers. Please don't read until you've read New Moon. This will be my first In-Progress work here at I promise there will be updates, but I don't promise when they will come (ask my "V for Vendetta" fans… ). This story shows what Edward was up to those hours before he is saved by Bella. Oh, and as of right now this story in my mind is leaning to a strong Teen rating, but it may have to move up to a Mature rating later on. I'll warn you if it happens._

_Of course, I do not own (most) of these characters or this world. Even though I think Aro is now, officially, my favorite character to have running around in my head._

**Chapter One: The News**

Edward stood on top of Pico da Neblina, the fog hiding the base of the large mountain from view. He sniffed the air experimentally, wondering if the smell of his prey could have been lost by the continuous participation of the rainforests. The man in the hotel had said he had overheard a red haired woman saying she was going to scale this mountain today. Victoria should have been able to reach the top by now. Edward should be able to smell her.

His lip curled in anger as he searched the ground with unskilled and almost completely black eyes. Nothing. Not even a broken twig to show that someone had been here recently. There weren't any footprints, no fresh scents, nothing on this whole damn mountain, man, beast, or anything else.

Edward sighed and looked back up at the drifting clouds, almost tasting his anger and his failure. Who did he think he was kidding? He was no tracker. The man had probably meant another red haired woman. He was just wasting his time here in Brazil. He should go back to Texas and see if he can pick the trail back up again. He had to finish this. He was afraid Victoria would go back to Forks and go after _her_ again. And all he ever wanted was for her to live a normal life, a life without vampires or fear.

Edward turned away from the magnificent view and, for once, slowly made his way back down the mountainside, deep in thought. He knew he should hurry, maybe hunting a little before getting back to where the people were, so the jumble of voices could cloud his mind and stop the thoughts of her. But he couldn't help it. He couldn't stop torturing himself with his memories. He may be able to leave her physically, but she was never far from his thoughts.

Both of them in the meadow, a shy smile playing on her lips as he laid out in the sunlight with no shirt on. The way her eyes flashed in anger whenever he said something she didn't like. The beautiful way her hair caught the sunlight. The sound of her laugh when he told her a silly joke. The way she never looked at him in fear, her eyes always so trusting and so full of love. She was the sun to his everlasting night.

Bella. His Bella.

Edward spun around, his fist crashing into a tree, ripping through the wood, the leaves rustling angrily at the disturbance. In moments like this, the pain was too much. In moments like this, he wished more then anything to be with her again. He had foolishly thought it would become easier with time, since this was the right thing to do. But the longer he stayed away from her, the more he had to deny himself, the harder the pain was to deal with. He slowly pulled his hand away and frowned at the crater he had made in the trunk. Carefully, he ripped at the edges so it looked more like an animal had scratched at the tree instead of a human fist plunging through the hard wood. Always cover your tracks.

He felt his phone vibrating against his leg. Impatiently, he pulled out the slim cell phone and flipped it open, growling a "What?" into the receiver.

"Hello, Edward. It's Rosalie. How's my darling brother?"

Edward closed his eyes, still ripping chunks of the tree away idly with his fingertips, grasping at the last threads of his patience. "What is it, Rosalie? Because I'm not coming back and I'm not in the mood."

"But that's just it, Edward." Her voice was sickly sweet, as if she was holding the key to their salvation in the palm of her perfect hand. "You don't have to stay away now."

The splinters coming off of the tree became larger. "What the hell are you talking about, Rosalie?" he hissed, quickly losing grasp of the little patience he had left.

"Well, my dear brother," she savored the moment, as if feeding from the sweetness of tormenting him, "it would appear that Bella is no longer an issue."

His hand froze over the hard wood that was teetering precariously, almost half of it's trunk ripped off in his distraction. "What?"

"Bella. She's dead. Jumped off a cliff or something." There was a note of triumph in her voice, as if this would be the best news Edward would ever receive in his non-life.

Edward felt like he had been punched in the stomach. The impending wave of pain began to lick at his toes, but he stepped away from it, not believing what he had just heard. "What do you mean she jumped off of a cliff? How do you know?"

He could almost see the way she waved her manicured hand dismissively, "Alice saw it. Bella going into the water and not coming out. But the important thing is you can come home now."

Edward snapped the phone close without even bothering with a goodbye. No. She wouldn't. Rosalie had to be wrong. He reopened the cell, typed in a number from heart, and listened impatiently as it rung, his fingers unconsciously picking at the tree again that was beginning to tilt dangerously.

A husky, unfamiliar voice answered the phone. "Swan residence."

Edward paused at the strange voice. _Who...?_ But quickly he gathered himself and calmly said, "Yes, this is Dr. Carlisle Cullen. I was hoping to speak with Police Chief Swan?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end. "He's not here." The voice was angry now, a dangerous edge to the words.

Fury flared up in Edward at the obvious challenge, making him bare his teeth. "Well where is he?"

"He's at the funeral." And the line went dead.

Edward held the phone to his ear for a full minute, hoping, wishing, praying to anything that might be listening that the stranger's voice would come back and say that he was mistaken. That Charlie was out with Bella getting dinner or seeing a movie. Something. Anything.

But the voice was gone. And it didn't come back.

The phone started to vibrate again, loud against his ear, waking him from his daze. He looked numbly at the caller I.D. and saw Rosalie's name. She had been right. Bella was gone.

_Oh, Bella..._

The tidal wave of pain crashed over him, ripping his soul apart in one quick swoop, the phone crushing like a can in his hand. He swiped at the damaged trunk of his tree, destroying the remaining wood that held it up, making it crash to the ground, the sudden noise mixing with his scream as his world collapsed around him.

He took off at a run, weaving through trees and brush, not seeing where he was going, not caring if he was seen. He had to get away from the pain grabbing at his heels, away from Rosalie's voice that was dripping with happiness, away from the words of the stranger repeating over and over in his head, _he's at the funeral, he's at the funeral, _away from the knowledge that his sun had been snuffed out forever, that his Bella had leapt to her own death, that his whole reason for living was now gone.

It was his fault. It was all his fault. She was gone. She was gone forever.

The sound of his dead heart shattering could be heard for miles.


	2. The Flight

**Chapter Two: The Flight**

_**A/N**: Okay, I've done the calculations, and I have no idea how Edward is supposed to have made it to Volterra approximately 8 hours before Alice and Bella arrived. No clue. So let's all just suspend disbelief with Ms. Meyer's work…and with mine. :) If you really want my calculations, I will gladly post up what I figured out with the next chapter. And let me take this moment to add it's a PAIN to add breaks here on FanFic. Just thought I would mention._

_All recognizable characters in this chapter belong to Stephenie Meyer. I just like to borrow and play with them. Don't worry, I'll put them back where I found them…maybe._

"Yes sir, may I help you?"

Edward looked up at the small brown man behind the counter, his accent thick and rich. "Yes, I need a ticket to Florence, Italy."

If the little man thought it was strange an obviously American boy was traveling from Brazil to Italy, he didn't show it. His fingers tapped out the request and his eyes skimmed the old computer screen. Edward waited patiently, tuning out the constant babble of voices in his head. "There's a flight today but it leaves in about ten minutes and the only seats available are in first class. The next one is a week from Tuesday."

Edward dropped his passport and a credit card on the desk, clear with gold lines, flashing the man a dazzling smile. "I'll take the one for today, if you don't mind. Are there any layovers?"

The man picked up the items, not even blinking at the obvious prestige of such a card. "Yes, in Paris. But it will be very quick. You will have to run to your next flight."

Edward smiled again. "Lovely. Thank you for your help."

The man passed the paperwork and ticket back to Edward and gave him a kind smile. "Your flight is in gate 23B. They have already started boarding, so you might want to hurry." Edward thanked the man, but as he turned to go, the man added, "And good luck to you. I hope you catch whoever you're chasing."

Edward shot a surprised glance over at the man and concentrated on his thoughts through the murmurs of all of the people around them. _Poor boy, it must be true love to run to another country after her. I do hope he wins her back. Everyone deserves true love._ Edward nodded his thanks and turned quickly away, before the kind man could see the bitterness in his eyes.

_If only you knew what I was chasing,_ Edward thought bitterly, breaking into an easy jog to get to the gate that would take him to his end.

Thousands of miles away, another vampire froze while listening to a pair of hushed voices from the kitchen. Her eyes grew wide and unfocused, seeing something no one else could see. She began to shake uncontrollably, unable to call for help. Finally, the vision passed, but she still remained frozen, her cold heart breaking in her chest, wishing for the first time in a long while that she could cry.

Softly, Alice whispered, "Oh, Edward, no…"

…

…

…

The little screen showed the plane was in the middle of the Atlantic, and Edward sighed, leaning back into the cushions. First class is definitely worth it when it came to these longer flights. He was still a little uncomfortable because he wasn't breathing, but he was thirsty and it was easier than smelling all of the easy prey around him.

Not that it mattered anymore, anyways. Nothing really mattered anymore.

Edward listened to all of the thoughts around him, trying to distract himself from thinking about why he was going to Italy. A college age girl behind the curtain separating the classes was practicing her French and was in desperate need of some tutoring. The businessman across the aisle had tossed back three whiskies and was now dreaming about becoming the CEO of his company. A young couple three rows forward were cuddled up together in the cushiony seats, thoughts of love and their upcoming honeymoon swirling together.

Edward turned his face away from the happy couple, grimacing in pain. He briefly wondered if they knew how lucky they were to be able to hold each other like that without having to worry about crushing one another. They reminded him of all of the things he could never have, all of the things lost to him now. He closed his eyes, hoping to block out all of the voices around him and to allow his mind to drift into nothingness, but thoughts of his Bella invaded, demanding attention.

It hurt too much to think of her. To think of how her face lit up whenever he came into her bedroom. Of how her eyes would always soften when she whispered she loved him. To think of the way he could see her heart shattering in those expressive eyes of hers when he pushed her away for her own good. _Jumped off a cl – _

No. Edward shoved the memories out of his mind, refusing to remember, refusing to think of it. Instead he turned his mind to how he was going to approach the Volturi with his request. A wry smile touched his lips. Yes, how do you approach the oldest and most powerful vampires on earth with such a request as his?

"Hello, it's a pleasure and an honor to meet you. What's my business? Oh, well, I was hoping you would kill me. You see, I fell in love with a mortal woman whom I had to leave for her own good, and she went and killed herself. The pain is too much to live with, so I was hoping you could take care of that for me."

He couldn't stop the small bitter laugh that escaped his lips. Oh yes, that would work. They would think he was mad. Which, once he thought about it, he probably was. A suicidal vampire. He was probably the first to approach them with such a request.

Maybe he should be more forceful, giving them an ultimatum. "Kill me or I'll reveal myself to the people of your city." With any luck they would take care of him right then and there in defense of their secret. They were well known for their fierce protection of the city and would do anything to hide their secret from the people.

How would they do it? Would they make it painful or quick? Edward felt nothing about the prospect that they could take their time with him, drawing out the pain before death. Nothing could be worse than what he felt now that Bella was gone. Anything was worth the bliss that would come after it was done.

He wondered what it would be like, when he was dead. Carlisle had always spoken of Heaven, even for those damned like them. Carlisle just couldn't believe a merciful God would send them to hell when they did the best they could with the hand they were dealt. Edward had never really believed him, how could God forgive creatures like them, but what if there is a Heaven waiting for him at the end of this journey? Bella would be in Heaven, hopefully waiting for him. They could finally be together in the way they both wanted so much. Not as predator and prey, not as vampire and human, but as a man and a woman in love. Forever.

But of course, even if there is nothing after this hellish existence, nothing but darkness and emptiness, anything would be better than trying to live another day without his Bella. He would rather go to the depths of hell itself than to live another day without his love.

_Soon, my sweet Bella,_ his mind whispered, the pain kissing him with the knowledge he would never be able to speak to her again, _whether we are reunited in heaven, or if I'm damned to the fires of hell, or if there is nothing after this life, soon, this will all be over._

_Just know I have always loved you._

…

…

…

Edward stepped off the plane, blinking in the artificial light. He let out the breath he had been holding the past seven hours and breathed in the fresher but still stale smell of the Italian airport.

There was a crowd waiting at the terminal, the excited and happy thoughts of the people practically screaming in his ear. Unconsciously, Edward turned solid black eyes on the crowd, throwing them a glare that made one young woman tremble in fear. The thirst was clawing at him unmercifully, and even though he felt no urge to hunt, the dryness in his throat was making him irritable.

He quickly made his way out of the airport and looked around. Thankfully it was night, so he had no problem running to the parking lots and looking at the selection of cars around him. It seemed for once, Edward thought bitterly, fate and luck was on his side. A black Bugatti EB Veyron, the fastest car produced in the world, sat quietly in the most expensive parking lot, it's windows tinted to black. He grinned wickedly. Perfect.

It took only five minutes to break into the car and have it hotwired, and soon Edward was barreling down the streets of Florence, the beautiful architecture racing by in a swirl of colors.

A pale figure cloaked in gray watched the equally pale man drive wildly away, his glittering red eyes hiding beneath the cloak. A small smile touched his lips as he flipped open a small cell phone and dialed a number by heart.

A lightly accented voice spoke softly, "Gianna, this is Alec. Tell the Elders our latest guest has arrived." He clicked the phone close and silently made his way back to his own car, smiling dangerously, the tips of his fangs catching the artificial light of the streetlamps.


End file.
